Chapter One #2
Kitty usually resorted to hiding in plain sight at social events.
It was amazing how many people failed to take notice of someone who was behaving in a perfectly unremarkable manner.
But when she spotted the alcove after stepping out of the crowded room to catch her breath, she could not resist. She knew her slight frame could slip behind the pot easily enough, but she’d never imagined that a fully grown man could do the same.
Especially one who must have been close to six feet tall, or even a hair over.
After pausing at the entrance for a moment to assess the scene, Kitty slipped into the drawing room of the Countess of Fulbourn.
She was still unsure how her mother had managed to secure such a prestigious invitation.
But she suspected it all came down to Kitty’s rumored dowry.
Money opened doors that would otherwise be closed to the daughter of an unimportant country gentleman.
And her mother did everything in her power to take full advantage.
“There you are, my dear.” Her mother’s voice sounded unnaturally high, as though she were trying to feign pleasure.
As Kitty would have guessed, she stood with Lady Fitchett and Mrs. Craughton, the two biggest gossips in London.
Though, to be fair to the baronet’s wife, she was not as vicious as her friend.
Kitty greeted all three women, who nodded in response and then returned to their half-whispered conversation.
“A large estate in Hampshire, you say?” Mrs. Craughton addressed Lady Fitchett.
“Large,” the woman confirmed with a solemn look on her angular face, “but nearly insolvent, from what I hear.”
“How did such a gentleman secure an invitation?” Kitty’s mother asked, clearly intrigued.
Kitty held her breath, hoping the answer was not a connection to Lord and Lady Fulbourn.
“Did you not know?” Mrs. Craughton replied. “Oliver Linfield is the nephew of Lord Fulbourn. His mother, Lady Diana, is the earl’s elder sister.”
Kitty’s mother perked up, just as Kitty’s stomach dropped.
She knew exactly what would come next. Her mother had spent the previous two years determined to find a connection to a title.
Not the title itself; even Priscilla Childs knew Kitty’s dowry was not quite that large.
But a connection that would raise her own standing in society.
A younger son. A brother. A nephew, apparently.
Her mother had always been more interested in the finer things in life, while Kitty spent her childhood following her father around his country estate.
But since becoming a widow, Mrs. Childs had developed something of an obsession with joining the higher echelons of society.
Though it hurt to admit, Kitty knew well that she was merely a pawn in her mother’s schemes.
The woman’s focus was and always would be herself.
While Kitty half-listened to the surrounding conversation, Lady Fulbourn stepped to the front of the room and announced the musical portion of the evening.
After taking a seat towards the back, Kitty spotted the young man from behind the pot.
He sat several rows in front of her. A perfect spot for observation, while she would be unlikely to be noticed.
The musical performances were perfectly fine.
Kitty did not find them painful, which was all one could really ask.
But in truth, her primary attention was on the dark-haired gentleman.
He occasionally leaned over to whisper something to his companion, but otherwise looked politely bored with the entire evening.
Perhaps he’d not been hiding from an admirer, simply from the evening in general. The thought amused her.
Once the last notes of music came to a close, Lady Fulbourn invited the guests to enjoy one last refreshment before the evening wound to a close. Kitty’s mother shot from her seat and vanished, likely spotting someone she wished to greet. Or worse, introduce to Kitty.
Sure enough, within two minutes, her mother returned on the arm of a portly gentleman with a mix of silver and dark strands combed across his otherwise balding head.
Though thoroughly unmotivated to face yet another introduction to an unwanted suitor, Kitty put on a perfectly polite smile and fully faced the new arrivals.
“Catherine, have you met Mr. Rodger Hasler?” Her mother turned to the man at her side, who was likely closer to her own age than Kitty’s. “Mr. Hasler, this is my daughter, Miss Catherine Childs.”
“A pleasure, Mr. Hasler,” Kitty lied while dropping into the bare minimum of a polite curtsy.
“Mine is the genuine pleasure, “he replied in an oily tone that made Kitty’s stomach turn most unpleasantly.
“Mr. Hasler was just telling me that he’s recently returned to London after spending several weeks in Surrey at the estate of his brother, Viscount Kineton.”
Ah, of course. The brother of a viscount.
“That sounds lovely.” Kitty kept her voice flat and uninterested.
Though, in truth, the prospect of escaping London for several weeks did sound lovely.
She did not dislike London, but she missed the fresh air and open space of the country.
If only she had the opportunity to visit.
The viscount’s brother glanced between Kitty and her mother before dropping into a bow. “I’m afraid I see an acquaintance I’ve been meaning to speak with. Please excuse me. It was a pleasure, Miss Childs.”
Kitty’s mother waited just long enough for him to leave before she leaned in and hissed softly, “What was that, Catherine?”
Refusing to blanch at the use of her full Christian name, Kitty replied, “I’m not sure what you mean. I was perfectly polite to Mr. Hasler.”
Mrs. Childs pursed her lips. “Perfectly polite and obviously disinterested.”
Not for the first time, Kitty wondered why her mother assumed she would have any interest in such a man. Like so many gentlemen she’d met in London, the interest was all on her mother’s part.
“Why, Mrs. Childs, Miss Childs, it is so lovely to have you here this evening.” Kitty pasted on a smile and turned fully to face their hostess. She could only hope that the countess had arrived late enough to miss the previous conversation.
“And we were so grateful for the honor of an invitation, my lady,” Mrs. Childs responded in her most obsequious manner.
“Of course,” the countess replied. “While you are here, I would like to introduce you to my nephews.” She looked around as if she’d expected them to be following at her heels. “Oh, there they are,” Lady Fulbourn commented as two gentlemen stepped through the crowd.
Two familiar-looking men, though she’d only seen the one from the back.
The younger man looked between Kitty and her mother before his gaze returned to Kitty, his eyes wide.
Without a doubt, she was about to be introduced to her visitor from the alcove.
Her heart did a little flip, but she forced herself to ignore it.
“Mrs. Childs, Miss Childs,” the countess began, her hand gesturing towards the man from the alcove, “may I present my husband’s nephew, Mr. Oliver Linfield?
” Oliver Linfield, the insolvent nephew of an earl.
Kitty was so distracted by the identity of the handsome young man that she completely missed the name of his associate.
On instinct, Kitty settled into the indifferent mask that had protected her for two years. “A pleasure, gentlemen.”
“Likewise,” Mr. Linfield replied with a look of disinterest that would put many London gentlemen to shame. At least the feeling was mutual. The poorly hidden excitement on her mother’s face utterly destroyed any interest Kitty might otherwise have had.